April 28, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news

A Ukrainian official in Mariupol has told CNN that the last holdout of Ukrainian forces in Mariupol — the Azovstal steel complex — has been hit by the heaviest Russian airstrikes yet.

"There is a suspicion that after photos from the hospital were published, the place was identified by the enemy. And there was not just a bombing, but a massive bombing strike inflicted there. There is rubble, there are people under the rubble. There are dead and wounded. That is, the wounded are injured once again," he told CNN. "This is a violation of all norms and rules of warfare. This is a violation of the Geneva Convention."

CNN cannot independently confirm the extent of Russian airstrikes nor the casualties they caused. 

A week ago, Russian President Vladimir Putin said there was no need to storm the industrial area around the Azovstal steel plant. 

"I believe the proposed storming of the industrial zone is no longer necessary," Putin told Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu. 

Putin told Shoigu the industrial area should be sealed and those remaining at the plant should once again be offered to surrender in exchange for their lives and a "dignified treatment." 

The defenders of Azovstal have repeatedly refused to give up their weapons. There are thought to be several hundred soldiers still there, and hundreds of civilians.

The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi said Thursday while there had been “a small increase” in levels of radiation at Chernobyl, it is still “significantly below the authorized levels for workers in an environment with this type of radiation.”

IAEA experts visited the Chernobyl site over the past few days to measure radiation levels there, after the closed nuclear power plant fell back into Ukrainian hands after being taken by Russian armed forces earlier this month.

“This is three times or more lower than the authorized levels for workers in areas exposed to radiation,” Grossi told journalists at a news conference in Vienna, referring to charts showing dose levels measured by the IAEA experts.

Grossi said he does not have any information regarding reports indicating that Russian soldiers could “potentially die within a few months” due to radiation experienced in the Red Forest, a highly contaminated area near Chernobyl.  

“This is the situation in terms of radiation,” the IAEA chief said. “These are the levels we measured,” he added.

Some of Russia's biggest natural gas customers in Europe are preparing to accept the Kremlin's new payment terms rather than risk being cut off by Moscow, a fate suffered by Poland and Bulgaria this week.

Gas distributors in Germany and Austria told CNN Business that they were working on ways to accept a Russian ultimatum that final payments for its gas must be made in rubles, while complying with EU sanctions.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said last month that "unfriendly" nations would have to pay rubles, rather than the euros or dollars stated in contracts. Buyers could make euro or dollar payments into an account at Russia's Gazprombank, which would then convert the funds into rubles and transfer them to a second account from which the payment to Russia would be made.

Germany's Uniper said on Thursday it would continue to pay for Russian gas in euros but added that it believes a "payment conversion compliant with sanctions law" is possible.

"Uniper is in talks with its contractual partner about the concrete payment modalities and is also in close coordination with the German government," the company said in a statement.

A Uniper spokesperson told newspaper Rheinische Post on Thursday that the company would make payments into a Russian bank in euros, instead of a bank based in Europe.

Germany has reduced its consumption of Russian gas to 35% of imports from 55% before the war in Ukraine, but says it needs to keep buying from Moscow at least until next year to avoid a deep recession.

Uniper said that it cannot cope without Russian gas in the short term.

"This would have dramatic consequences for our economy," it said in its statement.

Austrian energy firm OMV (OMVJF) said on Thursday that it had considered the new payment request from Russian gas giant Gazprom and was "now working on a sanctions-compliant solution."

Putin on Wednesday made good on his threat to cut off countries that refuse the new payment terms. Gazprom announced it had suspended gas supplies to Bulgaria and Poland because they had refused to pay in rubles, stoking fears that other EU countries — including major gas importers Germany and Italy — could be next.

Sanctions loophole? There could be a workaround. The European Commission issued guidance to EU member states last week saying that is "appears possible" that buyers could comply with the new Russian rules without getting into conflict with EU law.

EU governments are likely to allow the payment mechanism to go ahead, Eurasia Group said in a note on Thursday.

Go deeper on the story here.

The bodies of 1,150 civilians have been recovered in Ukraine's Kyiv region since Russia's invasion started, Kyiv regional police chief Andriy Nebyton said Wednesday.

Nebyton emphasized that "these were civilians, not military, who had no involvement with Territorial Defense or other military entities."

The majority of casualties are from the Bucha region and Bucha leads in the number of bodies they have found, Nebyton said, adding that "50-70% died of firearm wounds, shot with automatic rifles."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has blamed Russia for the killings and called on Moscow to stop committing "war crimes."

The Kremlin has denied any involvement in the mass killings while reiterating baseless claims that the images of civilian bodies on the streets of Bucha are fake.

During a visit to the towns of Bucha and Borodianka, International Criminal Court (ICC) Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan said there were "reasonable grounds to believe that crimes within the jurisdiction of the ICC are being committed."

Ukraine's General Prosecutor Iryna Venediktova said a number of Russian soldiers allegedly involved in human rights abuses in Bucha have been identified. In a Facebook post, Venediktova said 10 soldiers had been identified as being "involved in torture of peaceful civilians" during their occupation of the town.

Irina Morgan contributed to this post.

Russia will respond harshly to strikes by Ukrainian Armed Forces on Russian territory, Russian foreign ministry spokesperson, Maria Zakharova, said during a press briefing on Thursday.

“Such criminal activity by the Armed Forces of Ukraine against Russian territory cannot go unanswered,” Zakharova said. “I would like Kyiv and Western capitals to take seriously the statements of the Ministry of Defense of our country, that further provocation of Ukraine to strike at Russian targets will necessarily lead to a harsh response from Russia."

“We do not recommend further testing our patience. Russia is determined to achieve the set goals of the special military operation,” Zakharova added.

Ukraine's General Prosecutor Iryna Venediktova said a number of Russian soldiers allegedly involved in human rights abuses in the town of Bucha have been identified.

In a Facebook post, Venediktova said 10 soldiers had been identified as being "involved in torture of peaceful civilians" during their occupation of the town.

The soldiers were of various ranks, she said, naming four privates, four corporals and two sergeants. They were from the 64th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade, she added.

Earlier this month, the 64th Brigade was awarded an honorary title by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who praised their “great heroism and courage” and awarded the unit the title of ‘Guards’ for “protecting Russia’s sovereignty.” 

“This high distinction recognizes your special merits, great heroism and courage in defending your Fatherland, and in protecting Russia’s sovereignty and national interests,” the congratulatory statement from Putin read. 

In a "very short time, the investigation established that during the occupation of Bucha, they took unarmed civilians hostage, didn’t provide food and water to them, kept them on their knees with their hands tied and their eyes covered in duct tape, and they were mocked and beaten. They used fists and the stocks [of their guns]. They beat information about the location of the [Ukrainian] Armed Forces and the Defense Forces out of people, and some were tortured for no reason at all," Venediktova said.

"Russian servicemen threatened to kill the victims and even imitated the execution of their prisoners by firing in their direction," she added. "The role and participation of each of them in these crimes has been established through investigative and coordinated work of prosecutors and police officers ... We are currently checking on their involvement in the killings in Bucha."

US President Joe Biden is set to deliver remarks on offering support for Ukraine at 10:45 a.m. ET at the White House.

Biden is expected to discuss a proposal he will send to Congress Thursday outlining a legislative package to further pressure Russian oligarchs over Russia's war in Ukraine, the White House said.

The package — developed through an interagency process including the Treasury Department, Justice Department, State Department and Commerce Department — will "establish new authorities for the forfeiture of property linked to Russian kleptocracy, allow the government to use the proceeds to support Ukraine and further strengthen related law enforcement tools," the White House said in a fact sheet.

The proposal is expected to come alongside a request for Congress to approve new supplemental aid for Ukraine, including military, economic and humanitarian assistance that is expected to last through the end of the fiscal year.

While members have agreed that more money for Ukraine is necessary, it's still not clear how the supplemental would move swiftly through Congress nor is it clear how quickly this proposal on oligarchs could move. A likely path would be to tie the two pieces of legislation together, but Republican and Democratic leaders are in the early stages of talks on how to pass the broader funding for Ukraine.

One element of the package would streamline the federal government's efforts for seizing the assets of Russian oligarchs by creating a new administrative process through Treasury and the Justice Department "for the forfeiture of property in the United States that is owned by sanctioned Russian oligarchs and that has a connection to specified unlawful conduct." It would make it a criminal offense for people to "knowingly or intentionally possess proceeds directly obtained from corrupt dealings with the Russian government."

Read more about the package here.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres visited the war-ravaged Ukrainian town of Bucha, which was associated with war crimes by Russian troops in Ukraine on Thursday. Guterres toured residential areas in the suburb of Kyiv and nearby town of Borodyanka, that were left largely in ruins when Russian troops pulled out.  

The UN chief is expected to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba later in the day. Ukrainian authorities have previously requested UN to guarantee safe passage for civilians in Mariupol. Some officials in Kyiv have criticized Guterres’s itinerary after the UN chief met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Tuesday.

It's now nine weeks since Russia invaded Ukraine. Russian forces are currently "exerting intense fire," as a multi-pronged offensive takes shape across three regions, according to Ukraine's military leadership.

The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said Thursday that the Russians are focusing on trying to make a breakthrough in the Izium area of eastern Ukraine. 

Here are today's latest developments: